Podcast Episodes

Author  Aaron Armstrong  drops in! He has an excellent  blog  with great resources.  Nathan  asks him why he wrote Contend- don't all Christians already agree on basic Christian doctrine? "You'd be surprised," Aaron says. He shares some examples of how not guarding doctrinal standards can lead to utter chaos in the church. Finally,  Greg  and Aaron talk about the good, the bad and the ugly of the...

Nathan  explains why we are delaying our response to the Baltimore riots and asks for prayer. One of our regulars,  Dave Shive , and  Greg  resume their debate on who are the "sons of God" in Genesis 6. Then they go on to consider the reality of demonic activity in the 21st century.

Stephen Altrogge  joins the podcast. Stephen's  The Happy Rant  has been the model for our own cheap knock off of his superior show! Check out his  The Blazing Center  for great resources. Pastor and worship leader  Matt Smith  chats with Stephen about song writing, good and bad worship music and generational preferences.  Greg  opines about the dangers of politically conservative Christianity.  N...

Pastor and Author  Tim Challies , the Cal Ripken of Christian blogging, joins our first international podcast (since the dude is from Toronto after all!).  Nathan  asks him questions on blogging, pastoring and how to battle pornography.  Greg  asks him some quick fire questions on Calvinism, Mark Driscoll and the good and bad of reformed Christendom. Also- pay attention to how you can get a free b...

Nathan  asks  Greg  why it seems so hard to transition to spiritual matters when talking with an unbeliever.  Steve Hartland  from  Trinity Church  asks really tricky questions about what constitutes a marriage. Should a church accept people who privately married without the approval from the state? Can a person consider himself divorced before God regardless of the state's recognition? Can such a...

Dave Shive  returns to the podcast to "clean up the mess" of so many erroneous comments he's heard since! Bill Heidel , an elder at Christ Fellowship joins the podcast for the first time. Our  previous Isis podcast  left him with some questions and comments that get clarified.  Nathan  sets up a great debate between  Greg  and Dave on whether the "sons of God" in Genesis 6 were angels or humans. 

Back to the podcast for a second time from the frozen tundra of Anchorage, Alaska-  Pastor Jeff Crotts  shares great thoughts on expository preaching.  Greg  starts off a discussion on why he has found the resurrection of Christ THE most helpful apologetic in engaging with unbelievers.  Nathan  asks how we can prepare our hearts for Easter so that the weekend actually holds some meaning!

In our significantly numbered 11th episode, we are joined by our first true radio professional.  Steve Melewski  from  MASNSports.com  sports joins the podcast to talk all things Orioles. Steve is a born and bred Baltimorean with encyclopedic knowledge of the Orioles.  Greg  and  Nathan  interact with him on best ballparks, minor league development and the Birds chances in 2015.

Christina Canapp , with  New Tribes Missions , visits the podcast just two weeks before returning to the Philippines.  Nathan  and  Greg  ask her about everything from weather, stomach bugs, singleness and the impact of the gospel.

Steve Hartland  from  Trinity Church  makes his second visit to the podcast. He asks a classic elephant in the room question- “Why are so many of my non-Christian friends kinder than my Christian ones?”  Nathan  shares a real life example where Christian school kids are outraged by their principal’s horrible behavior. Does submission to authority preclude raising questions or concerns? Finally  Gr...

Matt Smith  makes his second visit to the podcast.  Greg  and  Nathan  try to shame him with his love of all things Stallone, but Matt doesn't flinch. What is it like for a pastor who is good at preaching AND music? Is it a blessing or a curse? What are some of the ups and downs in a church's worship service? Finally, they talk about how the gospel connects with people who struggle with mental ill...

Friend of Nathan, J.R. Woolsey joins the podcast. J.R. is a sharp dude- a beer expert, lover of sports and a very thoughtful agnostic. Nathan and Greg have fun talking about beer, sports, and how Christians can come across as pushy.

Dave Shive  from  Frontier Ventures   joins the podcast- finally! Can we call members of ISIS evil in light of the fact that we are all evil? What may be behind our vested interest in Islamic evil that could betray our ignorance of the evils at home? Finally- Dave provocatively sets the stage for another podcast on how the church might be getting missions wrong.

Nathan  asks probing questions about  Greg 's first  book - chiefly, what would he change six years later? Are witches and wizards always evil- even when they are in the hands of two of the greatest fantasy writers ever? Finally they explore the counterintuitive notion that God- even in his fatherhood- should be feared.

Our first out-of-town guest joins us via Skype. Jeff Crotts is the senior pastor of  Anchorage Grace Church  in Alaska. He,  Greg , and  Nathan  talk about this years Oscar awards. This leads to an interesting discussion on race and the Gospel. Finally they spend a few minutes on the highs and lows of Christian conferences.

Motorcyle-riding, Steve Hartland, pastor at  Trinity Church , joins  Nathan  and  Greg  on the podcast this week. Steve has had a real journey out of legalism and he shares some of the dangers of equating man's practices with God's law. Also- how should we think about Christian celebrities (Dave Ramsey, Jim Dobson, John Piper, etc...). Finally- we devote a few minutes to the role of seminary/forma...

Matt Smith (sorry not the cool, hip Dr. Who version- the much more boring version), Lead Pastor at  Grace Community Church  joins  Nathan  and  Greg  on the podcast. Are today's sermon listeners too application-happy? Do we REALLY find a New Testament command to tithe? What lessons/challenges face Christians in a movie like 50 Shades of Grey?

Our inaugural episode! Host-  Nathan Bell  and  Greg Dutcher  discuss their hopes for this podcast. To have honest (at times even uncomfortable) conversations about real issues affecting Christians today. Greg shares how there is so little time on a Sunday morning to go deeper into the weeds on so many subjects. The three special guests (one per week) are introduced: Pastors Matt Smith, Dave Shive...